The Last Mission
by Lady of the Round Table
Summary: This time, she won't let them do all the fighting. She will be there: fighting, healing their wounds, sharing the burden and taking all the pain. R&R please!


**The Last Mission**

-A Naruto fanfic

* * *

(A/N: Two weeks. TWO FREAKING WEEKS left before the board exam and I'm _**still**_ procrastinating! But c'mon! Who can review when it's so DAMN HOT?! I wrote this fic last Thursday when there was an electrical interruption in our neighborhood due to EXTREME HEAT. My brain's not really absorbing what I'm reading anyway so I got my notebook and pen and started writing. Based off on the latest chapter of the manga. No pairings here! Just thought of writing Sakura's thoughts during the fight. I hope I did a good job.)

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. We owe him that much.

* * *

_Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out._

She never knew how hard it was to breathe. Until now.

She was cut, bruised and injured in any way imaginable.

But most of all, she was tired. So very tired.

She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and drift into slumber.

Her eyes were starting to succumb to exhaustion, the battle finally taking a toll on her body.

But the sounds of explosion and crashes snapped her awake.

What she saw made her heart skip a beat.

_They_ were standing in front of her, taking all the strong attacks of Kaguya head on.

_They _were running low on chakra. But they continue attacking even though the enemy was superior to them in all aspects.

_They_ don't want to lose. Because losing the war means losing the shinobi world. And losing the shinobi world means losing everyone they care about—family, friends, comrades…

Obviously, _they_ don't want that to happen.

As she stared at their backs, she can't help to think how strange and ironic life really is. To think that two completely opposite shinobi will become best of friends and saviors of the world… it was unimaginable.

But there they are, standing tall and proud.

Despite what others may think, she treasures them. They were, after all, teammates since god-knows-when.

Her gaze softened as her eyes trailed to the shinobi on the right. The Kyuubi's chakra covering him and giving him overwhelming power. He really changed a lot. He was an idiot way back. A complete mediocre. A sore loser who gets into trouble always because of his mischievousness. But when they grew older, she began to understand his attitude. He was just a lost boy who craved for the love he never got. He wanted to be acknowledged, to be known, to be respected, because throughout his life, the villagers saw him as a nuisance, an awful reminder of a horrid past…

A _monster_.

Now, gone was the boy disliked by the people. He was replaced by a fine shinobi, a great friend, a hero of the nation who was undoubtedly worthy to be a Hokage in the future.

She shifted her gaze to the shinobi to the left, her lips frowning slightly but her heart pounding at the same time. His Amaterasu was impressive, showing his immense power and unquestionable skills. Of course. It was as expected of an Uchiha.

He really lived up to his name.

He was the complete opposite of the other. He was quiet, smart, talented and handsome. He was the genius of their generation: no taijutsu was hard for him and his ninjutsu was precise, perfect. She admired him for those traits. And so, she developed a crush on him.

No, wait. Slash that. She became _infatuated_ with him.

Slash that again. She fell in _love_ with him.

Her dense, childish mind couldn't comprehend before why he was so cold to others. Why he never laughed nor smiled. Why he never took notice of his admirers.

She never knew that behind the indifferent mask he wears lies a boy full of hatred and revenge, who lived to surpass and kill the man who obliterated his family.

How tragic, she thought, to have your childhood taken away in a night.

He betrayed everyone and joined the enemy's troop. But she believes that the boy who stole her heart still lives inside the man who was blinded by the illusions of the past.

Apparently, she was right. Or so she would like to think.

He was standing on the battlefield, as their ally once again. He still kept his cold exterior. She didn't know what he was thinking. She never did. But even so, she would like to believe that his eyes were finally opened. That he came back to them.

That he _will _come back _with_ them. To Konoha. To their home.

She smiled inwardly. _Yes, they will all go home after this._

Her musings were cut short when Kakashi-sensei appeared in front of them, commanding their attention.

"Now listen here. We will give it our all in this attack," he paused then added, "This will be our last mission as Team 7, be prepared."

They snapped their heads at the order. As she watched them prepare to attack, she made her decision.

She stood up, not minding the pain and ignoring the exhaustion. It was a struggle, but she refused to stand by and do nothing.

All this time, she was the one being protected. She was weak. And she blamed herself for her lack of determination and cowardice.

This time, she will not let them do all the fighting. They have been fighting their personal battles all their lives. This time, instead of watching them, she will share their burden.

She will be there: fighting, healing their wounds and taking all the pain, because she promised herself that she would no longer cry and keep depending on them.

They were going to end this.

They will end this war.

And as she walked towards them, she had faith that they could.

* * *

_Soooo…. Whatdya think? Does it suck so bad? I know, the ending's lame. I always suck at endings. Please do tell me what you think about this…this…yeah. And oh, I was contemplating on making this a multi-chapter fic, with the succeeding chapters portraying Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi's thoughts. Is it a good idea? Should I do it? Or should I just let this be?_

_Reviews inspire me. _

_Thanks!_


End file.
